Dr Michelle White was a Consultant in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at Bristol Children’s hospital until 2012 when she left the NHS to join the international surgical charity Mercy Ships. For 5 years she worked full time in several different African countries and pioneered the Mercy Ships Medical Capacity Building program, which aims to strengthen the surgical health system and now trains over 1500 people per year.

Dr White was also involved in advocacy and policy development with the Ministries of Health including national implementations of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in Madagascar, Benin and Cameroon, and the development of National Surgical Plan’s in Madagascar and Benin. In 2017 Dr White returned to the NHS as a Consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She now serves on the Board of Directors of Mercy Ships International, and has a PhD in Global Health and Implementation Science.